GENESIS
If she had been asked why she was back at that mansion, she would not have been able to give any tangible answer. She had originally decided to stay away from the man and his son in order to keep her sanity, but when she had thought deeper about the child, her heart melted and she was moved to return.But now, it was looking like she should not have let her emotions win. Dante's hard face was the first thing she faced immediately she walked into Elon's room. Again. Only thing was, this time, his eyes were no longer bloodshot and he did not look like he was going to shoot her brains out. He looked indifferent, like he could care less if she was there or not."Good morning, sir." She tried her best to not let her voice crack, struggling to maintain eye contact with him. But all she got was a curt nod before he rose to his full length and exited the room.She breathed. The stillness in the room had gone out with him, and it was now she became aware of the little boy's eyes scanning her face."You look like you are about to throw up." His brows furrowed as he tilted his head slightly. "You're the first nurse I've known to look sick."That made her laugh, and released the tension in her chest. "I am just a little bit tired.""But you did not come here yesterday." Elon said to her, his brows were almost touching now."I di—" she caught herself before she realized that he was not aware of her and his father's short but scary encounter the previous. She decided it was best to keep it that way. Instead, she said, "I was at the hospital."At that, the boy's face straightened and he sighed, looking away from her to focus on his blanket cladded feet. She observed him, watching his face drop a little. That look in his eyes, she could recognize it anywhere, it was one of despair. And before she could ask him what was wrong, he hit her with a question."Would I really never be able to walk again?"She was not prepared for that question. She was aware that she was going to answer it at some point but she did not think it would be this soon. However, with a kid like Elon, she should have known better."Who told you that?" She first asked the boy.She was not willing to believe that Dante was stupid enough to have told the boy already."The people that come in to clean my room. They thought I was asleep while they discussed it." Her heart ached as she watched the kid fight tears. "One said that it's a miracle that I'm even alive.""Look, Elon." She sat on the edge of the bed and turned his head so that his eyes met hers. "You will walk again." This may have been going contrary to all the medical observations she had made, but she could not even tell where her belief came from. All she knew was that she was going to try.From her grandmother, she had learned local methods of physiotherapy and she had made up her mind, right there and then, that she was going to take that route with the boy's treatment."Promise?" Hope floated in the boy's eyes now, she could not let it die."I promise you." She smiled softly at him and he mirrored her expression.Now, she just had to figure out a way to get Dante to give her the go-ahead she needed.°•°•°•Elon had given her directions on how to find his father's home office, it had taken her a while to find it, and it was taking her even longer to get over her nervousness and knock on the door."Sir, I need to ask your permission for something." She decided to rehearse what she was going to say. That one sounded too forward, she shook her head."May I speak with you, s—"The door swung open and her words got caught in her throat, almost choking her."I— um..." as she struggled to form a sentence, he looked at her from head to toe with the most unimpressed look she had ever seen, intimidating her even further."I need to speak with you, sir." She finally said to him, clasping her fingers together to stop them from shivering. "It is about your son."At that, the hardness in his eyes decreased and he immediately stepped aside to grant her entry into his office. She released a sigh of relief, gaining his audience had not been half as hard as she thought it would be.Most things in here were either black or grey. It could easily be described as a devil's lair at first glance, but when her eyes adjusted, she saw the softness in that darkness. Behind his black, wooden desk, right opposite her, he took his seat and gestured for her to have hers too."I'm listening." He propped his elbows on the table and looked straight her. This was the first time she was noticing that he had black eyes.She swallowed, cleared her throat. "There's a method of treatment that I want to try on Elon to help him back on his feet. I believe it will work but I need your permission before I commence.""What is that? If I may ask." One of his brows rose slightly."It is a traditional method of physiotherapy that I learned from my grandmother." She felt like she sounded stupid to him, because his brow had gone up even higher."Traditional method of physiotherapy?" He leaned forward a little bit, that little gesture gave her a little bit of hope."Yes, sir." She nodded."Is that even in line with medical ethics?" he inquired, looking a little bit concerned."That's the thing, it's not. Which is why I need you to not disclose this to anybody." All the possibilities of him agreeing to this seemed thinner now, he was already frowning at her."So my son is going to be your little lab rat?" He tilted his head, that devilish glare of his was back and the air around her was beginning to get hotter."No!" She raised her voice in defense. This man just had to hear her out. "From the medical standpoint, nothing can be done. But I am willing to try the traditional route with him if you let me. I don't want to give up on him yet."For a few seconds, he just stared at her, scrutinizing her. And she fought hard to not cower under his gaze, maintaining their eye contact.Then he asked, "what if it does not work?""What if it does?" She countered. Her eyes sent out a plea to him, desperate for his approval. "Please, let me try."It took him a few more seconds of thinking before he exhaled and said to her, "Go ahead with it."DANTEHe still was not sure why he had given that nurse permission to use her traditional methods for his son's treatment. But his hands were tied here. He was not ready to imagine how his son would handle the news of not being able to walk again. The kid liked to run around and indulge in mischievous activities, such news would suck the life out of him and Dante hated the thought of his son living like a shadow of himself. "I feel like she's trustworthy." The voice of his friend dragged him out of his reverie. He blinked, focusing back on his friend, Luke."I mean, not too many nurses will go the extra mile like this. She's literally risking her career to give your son a chance to use his legs again." Luke continued. "Plus, from what you have said, Elon has a special connection with her. I think he's in good hands."Dante sighed, leaning back on his chair. "I just hope whatever she does actually works." "We all do, Dante. Remember, I am here to support any way I can." Luke's assura
GENESISIt had been a month since Elon switched to homeschool. He had even become more lively with Lana — his teacher — around. The lady was a sweetheart and even Genesis liked to chat with her whenever she took a break from Elon's classes. It was like a breath of fresh air having someone to relate to amidst the strangeness of the staff in that house. Lana was packing up now as she was done with the day's work. "You're a smart kid, Elon." She remarked. "Continue like this and you'd be ahead of your peers in no time." "Thank you." Elon smiled. "Alright, let me be on my way. I promised to make my kids burritos for dinner." Lana waved her goodbye and rushed out of the room. Genesis was all smiles when she looked at the boy, but it dropped as soon as she saw that he was looking sullen, lost in thought. "Elon?" She called but did not get any response. "Elon?" She tried again and all she got back was silence. So she poked his arm with her finger and that seemed to do the trick. He wa
GENESISIt was a dream, it just had to be a dream.She was looking at Dante with gaped lips and eyes wide like saucers. Did he realize what he had just said? She would have assumed that he was just joking, but she knew too well that Dante was not one to throw jokes around like that; at least, not with her."Look, I know it sounds strange." Dante started. 'Very strange.' She would have added if she was able to find her voice, but she was still dumbfounded. "But, right now, that is the only way I can think to keep you here." He sighed, his face spelling frustration. "I'll compensate you, I promise. You get to decide the amount.""I... I— marry you? That's—""Take tonight to think of it properly." He intercepted her speech. "For Elon's sake."She could still not make up a proper sentence as he walked out of the kitchen, leaving her to her thoughts. She stood there for a while, weighing her options. Marrying this man meant that her life was going to take a drastic turn, but leaving mean
GENESIS She was so glad to not have run into Dante that morning. Even though she knew she would eventually have to face him later that day, she still wanted to delay having to see him. She was currently massaging Elon's legs and, as usual, the kid was throwing one question after the other at her. "Do you think we would be able to survive a zombie apocalypse locked in this mansion?"Now, she was not sure why the kid was thinking about zombies today. But she was not going to indulge him in that conversation. "I don't know, Elon." She breathed. She did not want to burst his bubble by telling him that zombies were not real. Or baby he was already aware and just chose to ride that wave. "You're a little dull today." She heard the boy say to her. She looked up and found him scanning her face with concern. "Did something happen? Are you sick? Do you need the day off—""It's nothing." She mustered a small smile. "I've just not had my morning coffee yet." That was a stupid excuse, but for t
DANTEHe had gone through the document over and over again; yet, he was still reluctant to put down his signature. For some hours, he had been giving himself the excuse of going through the document properly 'just to make sure', but deep down, he knew he was just afraid to sign those papers. The depth of the situation had just hit him and he was just now reasoning how he was binding himself to a woman for a whole year, a woman he barely knew. What pained him the most was that he had sworn to never look at another woman after Evelyn died. Now, here he was, about to sign himself married to another woman. 'It's only in the eyes of the law.' He thought to himself. He was going to take comfort in that fact. Nothing more was going to happen between him and that nurse. They were going to live like strangers trapped in the same house, because that was what they were.He sighed and picked up his pen. He had to do this for his son, she was the only hope he had. He flipped through the papers,
DANTEHe was pacing up and down the living room, he had not been this restless since his son's accident. Why did he even listen to her? He should have dropped the call and let her fend for herself in this city. But there was still a part of him that could just not leave his mother stranded, and he wished he could shut down that part or his heart, or at least, mute its voice. When he heard the front door swing open, his heartbeat ceased. Everywhere went quiet and still and all he could hear were her footsteps. He was backing the door and he was dreading the idea of having to turn and look at her face, he doubted that he was ready for the wave of emotions that would come with it. "Do you hate me so much that you now don't even want to look at me?" He heard her voice raw for the first time in years and shivers went down his spine. Despite himself, he admitted that he missed hearing her speak. But the weight of what she had done was greater than the stupid longing he felt.He mustered s
GENESISJust when things were beginning to seem normal, this woman showed up to cause Genesis more confusion. At that moment, all she wanted was to remove herself from that situation, but she was at the centre of it. Dante had just called her his wife. Legally, she was, but she never expected Dante to actually pronounce that title. "You must be joking." The woman's voice shook as she spoke. "Your... wife?""Yes, my wife." Dante was smirking. This was the first time she had seen anything close to a smile on his face. "My lawfully wedded wife.""Look at her..." The woman spoke like she was regarding something filthy. "She is not up to par for some little you—""She is more than enough." Dante intercepted her speech. "And you need to remember that I do not need your approval for anything. You lost that entitlement a long time ago.""Daddy, who is this woman?" Elon was as lost as Genesis. "Baby, I am your grandmother—" she tried to move toward Elon again but Dante walked around the bed
DANTEHe could only sleep a few minutes last night. Having Gloria under his roof did something to keep his brain alert. At intervals, he would go and check up on Elon to make sure that she had not snuck into his room. Knowing her, he was aware that it was not out of her nature to feed the kid lies just to get on his good side and use him for her own greed. Thankfully, Dante knew that, even if she were to try that, his son was smart enough to resist.He was sipping his second cup of coffee at the moment. Given his lack of rest, he needed it. Elon's new nurse was going to arrive at any moment so he was already in the living room waiting. From the report the agency had sent, this nurse was going to be there to tend to Elon, not to administer treatment that would help him walk again, no, but to simply help with his day to day tasks. As far as they were concerned, there was nothing they could do about the kid's condition. That sounded like complete bullshit to Dante; perhaps, it was becaus